In the Corner of the Cupboard
by Purple Roses Poetry
Summary: Three years after the end of the second wizarding war, Petunia Dursley finds something unexpected in the infamous cupboard under the stairs. (Was originally going to be a two shot, but has now been extended.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Harry Potter.**

Petunia was doing her favorite activity: cleaning her house. It had been three years since she returned home. She remembered being forced to leave suddenly, being forced to go into hiding with her family. Vernon was annoyed. He never let go of his theory that the whole situation was just an elaborate plot to steal the house. She knew differently though. No matter how hard she tried, she could never forget her sister's death. She knew that going into hiding had probably saved all three of their lives.

Vernon and Dudley complained almost the entire time they were away. She would outwardly agree with their criticisms, but she was secretly terrified, especially for her son. Eventually Dudley became more solemn when he started listening to something called "Potter Watch." Apparently, it helped him finally understand the seriousness of their situation.

They were told they could go home just as abruptly as they were told they had to leave. She was so relieved when she walked back into #4 Privet Drive. Their lives quickly returned to how they were before. Vernon went back to work, and Dudley went back to school.

They told the neighbors that they been away for reasons related to Vernon's work, and that they finally kicked their no-good-nephew out for good after discovering he was dealing drugs. The other housewives on the block told Petunia how good a mother she was for shielding Dudley from his cousin's bad influence, and how good a wife she was for being so supportive of her husband's work. Petunia realized she had everything she ever wanted: a hard-working husband, a well-raised son, and the envy of her neighbors. She couldn't understand why she wasn't happy.

Petunia finally finished tidying up. Vernon was at work, and Dudley was currently attending a class at the local community college. She had the house all to herself, and she planned on taking advantage of it. As soon as she put away the cleaning supplies, she was going to take a nice, long, soothing bath.

Carrying an armful of cleaning supplies, she opened the cupboard under the stairs to put the broom away. As she reached into the cupboard, she suddenly lost her balance and all her cleaning supplies toppled to the floor. She signed and bent down to pick everything up. As she gathered up her things, she saw something glinting in the corner of the cupboard.

Curiosity got the better of her and she abandoned her cleaning materials to inspect the object. She held it up and saw that it was a metal toy soldier. She momentarily wondered how one of Dudley's old toys ended up in the cupboard, but then she remembered. This wasn't Dudley's toy, it was Harry's.

She and Vernon would occasionally give Harry things to entertain himself with while he locked in the cupboard. This little soldier had to be lying there for almost 10 years now. A wave of nostalgia hit Petunia, and she quickly had an epiphany. The reason Petunia hadn't been happy since returning from hiding was that, deep down, she missed her nephew. (As much as she hated to admit it) a small part of her felt guilty for the way they had treated Harry. He was only a child after all.

Still grasping the toy, she sat down and looked at her walls. They were covered in photographs of Dudley. She suddenly wished they had bothered to take just one picture of Harry. It would be nice if she had an image of him to look back on.

* * *

The next few days passed, and Petunia couldn't shake her feelings of depression and guilt. Vernon never noticed that something was wrong with her. Dudley, however, was unexpectedly more perceptive than his father.

One night, Dudley came into the kitchen as Petunia was cleaning up after dinner. Vernon had fallen asleep on the couch, and they could both hear him snoring in the next room.

"Mum," Dudley asked tentatively. "Is something wrong? I don't really know why, but lately you've seemed off somehow."

Petunia was initially going to lie and say that everything was fine with her, but she swiftly decided against it. If she couldn't tell the truth to her own son, who could she be honest with?

"Dudley, you're an adult now, and I think we should be able to have serious conversations with each other. I've actually been 'off' ever since we came out of hiding. Don't tell daddy this, but I found one of Harry's old toys in the cupboard a few days ago. Ever since, I've been feeling more and more guilty about how your father and I treated him."

"I understand mum. I feel guilty about Harry too. I'm not sure if you and dad realized, but I bullied him," Dudley replied.

"On Dudley, _you_ have nothing to feel guilty about. You were a child. It was our responsibility to correct your behavior, but we failed to do so," Petunia told him.

They sat in silence for a moment before she continued, "In complete sincerity, I miss Harry in a strange sort of way."

Dudley nodded.

"So do I… You know, I've actually talked to Harry a few times since we've been back."

"You have?!"

"Well not exactly talked. We've written to each other. Shortly after we got home, an owl came to the window while you and dad we out. He was carrying a letter from Harry. He just was checking to see that we got back alright. I wrote back telling him that everything was fine with us and asking if he was okay. We've exchanged letters a few times since then."

"So, he's doing alright?" Petunia hesitantly questioned.

"He's doing more than alright! Apparently, he basically saved their world. After he ended the war, he was offered a really good job in the wizard government. He also moved in with his girlfriend and her parents. I thought that living with your girlfriend's parents sounded horrible, but he says that they love him! According to Harry they treat him like a son. And Harry's best friend also lives there. He's Harry's girlfriend's brother."

Petunia smiled. "I'm glad he's doing so well, despite all your father and I put him through…"

"Hey, maybe we can meet Harry for lunch or something? I don't know if he'd agree to it after everything, but if he does we can both apologize to him." Dudley suggested.

"I think that's a good idea," she agreed.

"Great," said Dudley. "I'll write to him. He gave me his address, so I can send it through the regular post. I'll tell you when I hear back from him."

"Thank you popkin," Petunia responded. "Just remember not to tell your father about this," she warned.

"Don't worry," said Dudley. "I won't."

 _(To be continued.)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** **Thank you so much to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! This story was originally going to be a two shot, but I was inspired by the positive reaction I received from you guys. I'm now expanding this story to include more chapters!**

 **To one reviewer in particular, Octavius Connelly: First of all, thank you for reviewing. I'm very happy you've enjoyed this story so far.** **Second, you have some misinformation about Potter Watch. Potter Watch was a radio show hosted by Lee Jordon during the Second Wizarding War. Fred Weasley was also a cohost (though both of them used codenames to protect their identities). Basically, it was a show for Harry's supporters. It was mentioned in the first chapter because I was trying to convey that only after listening to Potter Watch did Dudley realize how serious the war was (and how much danger Harry was really in). Regardless, to you and to all my other readers, please feel free to correct me if you believe I've put any incorrect into any of my stories.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I still don't own Harry Potter.**

Petunia and Dudley traveled to London a few weeks later. They didn't tell Vernon where they were going, they just said that they were going out for a mother-son bonding day.

The pair sat down in a dodgy little pub called The Queen's Crown. _The Queen would never be seen in a place like this_ , Petunia thought sourly, scowling at the grimy walls.

Dudley glanced at her, noticing her displeasure.

"They have good food here mum. I've been with my friends before. And the glasses, dishes, and silverware are clean. That's what's really important."

"I'm sure we'll have a lovely meal, diddydoms," Petunia replied through her teeth, smiling artificially. She didn't want to make Dudley feel bad about his taste in restaurants. She was sure he was already nervous enough about seeing his cousin again.

"And when is Harry supposed to get here?" She asked.

"We agreed to meet at 4:30." Dudley told her.

Petunia looked at a wall clock that was situated behind the bar. It was already after 5.

"He's late," she said, her shaking voice giving away her anxiety. "Maybe he changed his mind about meeting us."

"Don't worry," her son assured her. "He wrote that he may be late in his letter back to me. He said that he's supposed to get off work at 4:00 today, but that sometimes he gets held up at the office with extra paper work."

"Oh, his job must be important then."

"Yeah, I think he's pretty high up in his department…. Would you like anything to drink mum?"

Petunia shook her head. "I'm fine, sweettums."

They sat in silence for next few minutes. London was unusually uncrowded that day. The pub – which wasn't very popular on a normal day – was practically empty. The only noise came from two men at the bar who were chatting about a football match.

Petunia and Dudley both looked up when they heard the front door of the pub creak open. In walked a bespectacled man who was unmistakably Harry Potter, followed by a red-headed woman that neither of them recognized.

Petunia studied Harry as he and the woman walked toward her and her son. He was almost exactly as she remembered, with his messy black hair, round glasses, and lightning bolt scar on his forehead. And he still watched her with her baby sister's green eyes. He seemed bigger now though. Harry was still short – the woman who was apparently accompanying him was an inch or two taller than him – but he was buffer now. He was in no way overly muscular, but his body was a stark contrast to that of the skinny boy she had said goodbye to over three years ago.

Harry and the red-head sat across from Petunia and Dudley. Dudley spoke first.

"Good to see you again, Harry," he said. Harry gave him a small smile as a response.

"This is Ginny, my girlfriend," Harry then informed them, gesturing to his companion. "She wanted to finally meet my family."

Petunia observed Ginny. She was a very beautiful young lady, but the smile on her face was forced. Petunia could tell from her clenched fists and narrowed eyes that Ginny did not like her. Harry must have told her about the harsh reality of his life before attending that magic school.

"Ah, nice to meet you. Is Ginny short for Virginia?" Petunia asked her, hoping to break the ice.

"No, Ginevra actually," Ginny replied stiffly.

 _Why must these people feel the need to give their children such odd names?_ Wondered Petunia, evidently forgetting that she named her son "Dudley."

"So, Ginny, Harry mentioned in one of his letters that he and your brother are friends," Dudley mentioned, ending the uncomfortable silence that had fell upon them.

"Yes, he and my brother Ron are best friends," Ginny confirmed.

"Oh, do you have more than one brother?" Dudley casually questioned.

"Yes," Ginny responded. "I have six older brothers. I'm the only girl." Petunia and Dudley's eyes widened.

"So, what have you guys been up to lately?" Harry then asked them, trying to prevent them from making any offensive comments about the size of Ginny's family.

"Not much is new," Dudley admitted. "We're still living at #4 Privet Drive, and dad's still working at Grunnings. I've been taking classes at the local college though, but I'm not sure what I want to do for a career yet. How's your job going?"

"Really good," said Harry. "It can be a little overwhelming at times, but I like the work I'm doing."

"Dudley told me you're working for _your people's_ government. I'm not sure exactly what Department you work for though," Petunia added.

"I work for the auror department. It's basically just magical law enforcement," Harry clarified.

"Ah, and what do you do, dear?" She asked Ginny now.

"I'm a professional quidditch player."

"I'm sorry?" Dudley asked, confused.

"Quidditch," Harry quickly explained. "It's a wizard sport. The most popular sport in the wizarding world actually, a bit like football to muggles. It's played on brooms. I played myself while I was still a Hogwarts. I was actually the captain of our houses' team at one point, but Ginny was a far better player."

Ginny blushed.

"Harry's modest, he was a great player too. He was the youngest seeker in over a century," Ginny informed them.

Petunia and Dudley blinked, having no idea what either of them were talking about.

The four of them continued with this small talk as they all ate their food, which Petunia begrudging had to admit was delicious. Finally, when it was almost time to get the check, Harry spoke up.

"I don't mean to be rude," he said. "But I was wondering why you both asked to meet me all of a sudden."

"To be honest, Harry," Petunia began after a moment. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I really regret the way Vernon and I treated you. You were just an innocent baby when we took you in, and yet we treated you like a criminal for an ability you weren't even aware you possessed. I know I have no right to, but I miss you Harry. You were a resident of our home for over 16 years, and more importantly you are my nephew. I understand you must hate Vernon and I for giving you such a terrible childhood, and I don't blame you for it. I just wanted to apologize."

Harry was stunned. He never in his wildest dreams expected his aunt to apologize to him, and he especially never thought that she'd say she'd missed him.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you too," Dudley added. "I bullied you constantly when we were kids. I knew your home life was already miserable, and I made it so your school life was horrible too. I'm so ashamed of how I acted. I know I was just a child when the bullying started, but I continued it into my teens, when I definitely knew better."

Again, Harry was surprised, but not as shocked as he was at Aunt Petunia's apology, since he and Dudley had been getting along better for the last few years. He studied both of his relative's faces and realized that they both were being completely genuine.

He could easily forgive his cousin. Despite Dudley saying that he should have known his treatment of Harry was wrong as he grew older, Harry was sure that Dudley would have never started bullying him in the first place if Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hadn't taught him since toddlerhood that Harry was the family punching bag.

Aunt Petunia was harder though. In his head, Harry knew the way Aunt Petunia treated him should be unforgivable. However, in his heart, Harry still longed for a loving family. Sure, he had the Weasley's, and they were amazing, but they still didn't fill the void that Harry had felt for as long as he could remember. He took a deep breath.

"I forgive you Dudley, but I just can't forgive you Aunt Petunia," he finally told them.

Petunia's heart sunk, but she understood that she didn't deserve Harry's forgiveness.

"However," Harry continued. "I do think I can do my best to move past it. The truth is I've always wanted a better relationship with my family."

"I don't deserve a relationship with you," Petunia whispered to him. "But I would love to have one. I would really like to fix what I can with you."

Harry nodded.

"Maybe…" He said. "Maybe you and Dudley should come to Ginny and I's wedding."

 _(To be continued.)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** **Thank you so much for all the support this story has received. Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but I recently started a new job, and haven't had as much time to write.**

 **To Strawberrybreeze (one of my reviewer's): I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! Thank you so much for pointing out to me that "Privet Drive" had been spelled "Private Drive" in earlier chapters of this story. I did know that the name of the Dursley's street was Privet Drive, but my computer was automatically correcting "Privet" to "Private" and I didn't realize it. I was able to go back and correct this mistake thanks to your comment.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I don't.**

"Your wedding?!" Petunia asked, shocked.

"You two are engaged?!" Dudley happily questioned.

"Yes," Harry told them. "I proposed 8 months ago. We're planning on having the wedding at the end of August."

"So soon? The end of August is less than 2 months away!" Petunia informed them.

"We know that," Ginny said stiffly, looking less than thrilled at Harry's impromptu wedding invite. "We're not planning anything extravagant. We're just going to put up a tent in the backyard of my parent's house."

"I'm sure it will be great, and we'd love to attend, only… Harry, do you really want us there? Don't feel like you have to invite us because of some kind of family obligation. We wouldn't want to do anything to spoil your wedding day for you," Dudley explained.

"It wouldn't ruin my wedding day," Harry assured him. "As much as I consider Ginny's family to be my family, it would still be nice to have some blood relatives there. I understand it may be uncomfortable for you to attend, so don't feel like you _have_ to come just because I invited you."

Dudley was just about to tell Harry, _"As long as you really want us to, of course we'll be there!"_ But Petunia spoke before him.

"Well, we'll have to see if we can come," she said. "What is the actual date of the wedding?"

"August 21st."

"I'm not sure what we may have going on that day. I'll have to go home and check the appointment book. Can I just have Dudley send you another letter when we know whether or not we can attend?" Petunia asked.

"Sure," Harry replied. "I hate to be rude, but Ginny and I have to go now. We agreed to babysit my godson at 7:30."

"You have a godson?" Dudley inquired.

"Yeah, his name is Teddy," Ginny answered for Harry. "And we're going to be late to watch him if we don't leave now," she continued, this time speaking more to Harry.

The four of them said their goodbyes, and Harry and Ginny walked out of the pub.

* * *

"What in the name of Merlin, Harry?" Ginny asked as they made their way down the road.

"What?"

"Why would you invite your relatives to our wedding? These people were nothing but abusive to you! This is the first time you've spoken to your aunt in over 3 years, and you've only written to your cousin a handful of times since the war ended! Our wedding is supposed to be a nice, happy day."

"And it will be. I meant what I said in there though, I really do want to have a better relationship with Petunia and Dudley. I just thought our wedding would help with that. But it doesn't matter anyway, I don't think aunt Petunia is really going to go home and check her appointment book. I think she just needed an excuse not to come," Harry explained.

Ginny gave him a sympathetic look as the two of them walked into a darkened alleyway. Once they were sure no muggles could see them, they apparated away.

* * *

Back at #4 Privet Drive, Dudley was growing more and more frustrated with his mother.

"What do you mean we're not going to the wedding?!" He demanded. "We need to be there for Harry. We're his only living family."

"Oh, Diddy," Petunia replied. "Don't you see, Harry doesn't actually need us there. He invited us to be polite. It was a formality. He doesn't actually expect us, nor want us, to attend."

"You're wrong, mum. I truly believe it was a genuine invitation. Harry wants to make things better between us, and I want that too. If you don't want to go it's fine, I'll tell Harry you already have plans for August 21st, but I'm going to that wedding."

"No, you're not, Dudley! Neither of us are going! It's just not safe!" Petunia exclaimed.

"What do you mean 'it's not safe?'" Dudley asked.

"Harry is a wizard! He's marrying a witch! All of their friends are magical!"

"And….?"

"Don't you see, Dudley? It's going to be a magic wedding! And magic is dangerous!"

Dudley sighed in exasperation and sunk down into a chair. He shook his head for a moment and then looked up at his mother.

"I can't believe you're still hanging onto this absurd idea that all magic is dangerous. Yes, I know there was just a war in Harry's world, and that we got caught up in the middle of it, but that's in the past now. The good guys won that war, and Harry was one of the good guys… Maybe even the best guy. Nothing bad is going to happen to us if we go to that wedding, and you know it. You're just not brave enough to face the fact that your fear of magic was just an excuse for you and dad to abuse Harry throughout his entire childhood," he asserted.

At this, Petunia burst into tears.

"You're right. You're right," she said to Dudley. "I'm a horrible person. I ruined my nephew's life."

Dudley softened at the sight of his mother in tears.

"You didn't ruin his life, mum," he assured her. "Harry did have a really horrible childhood, and there's nothing we can do about that now. But guess what? Harry's not a child anymore. He's an adult now, and he's trying to start a new life for himself. A new, happy life with his wife. We need to go to his wedding not just to support his marriage, but to support his future happiness. We have to do this one thing for Harry. We have to let him know that we don't want him to suffer any more."

Petunia managed to nod through her tears. She sat beside Dudley, who at this point was sobbing too, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You're right," she said. "Write to Harry and tell him that we'll both come to his wedding."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** **Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story! Your support keeps me writing! Sorry I didn't update sooner, but life got in the way. I plan to finish soon though!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I don't.**

Both Petunia and Dudley became more and more anxious as the days passed until August 21st.

When the day of the wedding finally arrived, the mother-and-son pair told Vernon they were going on a day trip to London to do some shopping. They did actually travel to London together via train, but they didn't do any shopping. They changed into their wedding attire in the bathrooms of King's Cross station and then made their way to the alley where Harry had instructed them to meet.

"Congratulations, today's the big day," Dudley said when he saw Harry, clamping him on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Harry replied sheepishly. Petunia noted that he was still wearing his day clothes.

"Are you going to have enough time to get ready by the time we get to Ginny's parents' house?" She asked him, concerned.

"Definitely," he assured her. "It's only going to take us a few minutes to get there."

"What?" She inquired. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "How exactly are we getting there?"

"With this," Harry told her, holding up an old, wooden spoon. "It's a portkey. We'll all hold onto it, and it will magically take us to The Burrow. That's what we all call the Weasley's home. It's like teleportation."

"Will it hurt?" Dudley questioned. Both his and Petunia's faces had gone pale.

"No, but it will probably make you a bit nauseous," Harry responded honestly. He looked down at his watch. "We really should get going now. I can't be late for my own wedding."

He held out the spoon and Petunia and Dudley reluctantly grabbed onto it.

* * *

Harry was right. It did make them nauseous. Dudley turned green, and it took Petunia every ounce of strength she had not to throw up.

Once the feeling of impending sickness had finally passed, Petunia noted her surroundings. The three of them had landed on an expansive lawn in front of the strangest house she'd ever seen. It looked as though it had originally been a small cottage but had subsequently been built up over time until it was several stories high. _Surely this thing can't be up to code_ , she thought. She quickly came to the realization that magic was likely the only reason the shoddily built home was still standing.

"So, this is The Burrow," Harry gestured to the house. "C'mon inside. The Weasley's are expecting you."

Harry led them through the front door of the home and into a very cluttered looking kitchen. The room was uninhabited except for a red-headed woman who seemed rather frazzled. She turned to face the three of them.

"Oh, Harry," she let out a breath. "There you are. I was getting worried."

"Sorry," Harry apologized. "Took a bit longer than I anticipated. Had to make sure there weren't any muggles around to see us using the portkey. Thanks for letting me borrow your spoon by the way."

At that, Harry once again turned to his relatives.

"Dudley, Aunt Petunia, this is Molly," he told them, gesturing towards the woman. "Molly is Ginny's mother. Molly, this is my aunt and cousin," he added, now gesturing towards the Dursleys.

"Hello," Molly greeted them with a half-smile. "Lovely to finally meet you."

Petunia and Dudley returned her hello, after which an uncomfortable silence washed over the four of them.

Petunia suddenly felt very uncomfortable. While Molly's tone was definitely not impolite, it certainly wasn't warm either. According to Harry, this woman had acted as a surrogate mother to him for many years now, and Petunia was sure that she was aware of the way Harry was treated while he resided at #4 Privet Drive. She could only imagine what Molly privately thought of her and her husband.

"Harry," Molly finally said. "You really must go get ready now, the ceremony starts in less than an hour."

"Less than an hour?" Harry questioned, looking mildly alarmed.

Molly nodded, and Harry quickly exited the kitchen and hurried upstairs.

"Would you two like to have a seat at the table?" Molly then asked Petunia and Dudley.

"Sure, thank you," Dudley said as he sat down. Petunia followed his example, nervously glancing around the kitchen.

Suddenly a middle-aged man burst into the room. He was balding, but the few hairs that remained on the sides of his head revealed that he too had hair just as fiery as Molly's.

"I heard the muggles are here," he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. He quickly spotted Petunia and Dudley and excitedly offered his hand for them to shake. He was incredibly familiar to Petunia, but she couldn't quite remember where she had seen him before.

"Hello, I'm Arthur – the bride-to-be's father," he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you," Petunia told him.

"Well, we've actually met before. If you recall, I visited your home once to pick Harry up to take him to the Quidditch World Cup," Arthur told her. He let out a small, nervous laugh. "Two of my sons played a bit of a prank on your boy. So glad to see that his tongue is back to its normal length by-the-way, and I really should apologize for destroying your sitting room. It really is a shame your husband wouldn't just let me fix it with magic – although, you muggles are so clever and innovative. I bet that with the tools you have you were able to finish the repairs in no time!"

Petunia just smiled back at him, unable to come-up with a polite response. It was months before that room was back to normal, and Dudley still occasionally had nightmares about chocking on his own tongue. Dudley appeared to be thinking the same way as he held his hands tightly over his mouth and stared backed at Arthur with wide-eyes.

Arthur could clearly sense their discomfort and proceeded to nervously scratch behind his ear.

"I should really get my son to apologize to you too," he said to Dudley. "Best to clear the air before the wedding starts. GEORGE!"

There was a loud popping noise, and one of the young men who had pranked Dudley all those years ago abruptly appeared in the middle of the kitchen.

"GEORGE, CAN YOU NEVER JUST WALK DOWN THE STAIRS!?" Molly screamed at him. Both Dudley and Petunia jumped at her rapid change in demeanor, but George seemed unfazed.

"Where's the fun in that?" He calmly responded to her before noticing the two Dursleys at the table. He laughed and pointed at Dudley. "I remember you! Harry's cousin! Wow, Harry said you were coming to the wedding, but I thought he was just joking around! How's your tongue by the way?"

"It's fine now," Dudley told him, cringing at the way his voice was shaking. _Magic is nothing to be afraid of. Magic is nothing to be afraid off_ , he mentally repeated to himself.

"Sorry about that, mate," George responded, although he didn't sound very apologetic at all. "You should really consider yourself lucky though. You're one of the first users of an original Weasley's Wizard Wheezes product. WWW is currently one of the most successful shops on Diagon Alley."

"Great," Dudley said, although he truly had no idea what George was talking about. "Hey, didn't you have a twin brother?" He asked in an attempt to change the topic of conversation.

"Yeah," George replied, all the amusement leaving his face. Molly and Arthur too suddenly appeared rather sad. "I have to finish getting ready," George said. There was another loud pop, and George was gone.

 _Oh God, no,_ thought Dudley, realizing that there were likely more than a few causalities during that wizard war Harry had to fight in. However, he didn't have long to dwell on these thoughts as yet another ginger-haired young man strode through the doorway.

"Mom," the young man spoke to Molly. "On a scale from one-to-ten, how mad would you be if I brought a dragon as my plus-one to the wedding?"

At this, Petunia went pale and clutched her hand to her heart.

"CHARLIE!" Molly bellowed.

"Wait, hear me out. It's a very young dragon that I've been taking care of - practically a newborn – and I'm the first living thing he saw after he hatched, so of course he imprinted on me," Charlie tried to explain. "Long story short, now he's going through this phase where he's been having terrible separation anxiety, and it just didn't feel right to leave him when I could very easily take him with me to meet the rest of his family."

"NO, CHARLIE!" Molly bellowed. "We are _not_ his family! He is a _dragon_ , we are human-beings! I can't even imagine the havoc a dragon could cause at your sister's wedding. It would be a disaster."

"Well, I've had him with me for the past three days I've been here, and you haven't noticed him yet."

"WHAT?! YOU LET A DRAGON LOOSE IN MY HOUSE?!"

"No," Charlie rolled his eyes. "Joshua – that's what I've been calling him – is not 'loose' in the house. I have him in a cage, in my room, and he hasn't caused any trouble yet… Well, except for that small incident with the carpet…"

"That's how your carpet caught fire! You said you knocked over a candle!"

"It wasn't totally a lie! I was trying to get Joshua to light a candle for me, but his aim was a little off. It really wasn't his fault, he's just a baby after all."

"ARTHUR!" Molly turned to her husband. "Say something! Your son has brought a wild animal into our home, and now he wants to bring it as a guest to our daughter's wedding!"

"Yes, of course," Arthur stuttered. "Charlie, that was very irresponsible of you, very irresponsible indeed. You should have at least had enough sense to keep the dragon in the backyard."

"ARTHUR!" Molly scolded. "He shouldn't have brought the dragon with him at all!"

"Right," Charlie interjected. "I can see that this is causing a lot of unneeded drama right before the wedding. I know what I'll do! I'll just point Joshua's cage towards the window so he can watch the ceremony from my room."

With that, Charlie ran out of the kitchen, leaving his mother and father speechless, and the Dursleys very concerned that they may be killed by a dragon named Joshua.

"Well," Arthur finally said. "The wedding is going to start very soon. Molly and I must get ready to greet the rest of the guests. If you two would just follow me to the backyard, I'll get you seated."

With that, Petunia and Dudley stood up and followed Arthur out of the kitchen, ready to finally see Harry get married.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Here it is, the final chapter. It's pretty short, but I think it wraps everything up pretty nicely. I hope I don't disappoint anybody because this story doesn't necessarily have a happily ever after type ending. I don't think the ending is sad per say, but it's definitely a bit too grounded in reality to be picture perfect. In writing this fic, I wanted to show that anyone could be redeemed, but I also didn't want to skate over the devastating effects of child neglect. I hoped this ending did a good job of that. Please let me know what you think of it in the comments.**

 **Oncle again, thank you for all the support this short little story has received. It's truly warmed my heart.**

 **Disclaimer: Like many on this website, I wish I owned Harry Potter, but sadly I do not.**

The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Petunia had never seen Harry look as happy as he did as he watched Arthur walk Ginny down the aisle, and the personal vows they delivered to each other were just lovely. Throughout the entire affair, Molly sat in the front row of chairs, sobbing into a handkerchief. Her crying was so intense that one might think she had just suffered a devastating tragedy if it weren't for the beaming smile that never left her lips.

There was only one point during the ceremony where there was a bit of a hiccup, which was pretty good when one considered Harry's past of nothing ever going smoothly for him. Charlie's dragon got loose the very moment Kingsley Shacklebolt - the officiant of the wedding and also the Minister for Magic (apparently Harry had friends in high places) - asked for anyone who objected to the marriage to speak now or forever hold their peace. All the guests gasped and cowered in fear as the beast swooped through the air, dangerously close to them. For their part, the bride and groom didn't seem very concerned. In fact, Harry appeared quite amused, and Ginny only seemed mildly ticked off that her new dragon nephew was objecting to her marriage. Still, Charlie caught the dragon quickly and after he had given "Joshua" a stern talking to for interrupting his sister's wedding, everything proceeded as normal. All the guests laughed about the incident afterwards - all except Molly Weasley that is. Much to Charlie's dismay, she swiftly proclaimed a strict no dragons at the Burrow rule.

After Harry and Ginny were officially pronounced husband and wife, Petunia took a step back from the celebrations that were taking place. Molly and Arthur were able to flit around, greeting all the guests and graciously accepting the congratulations of their friends and family. A part of Petunia wished she could do the same, but she knew she couldn't. It would be incredibly inappropriate for anyone to congratulate her. After all, she hadn't done anything to contribute to the wonderful man Harry had grown into, and she barely knew his bride. So instead she just watched the party as it took place, content that despite all that happened her nephew - the only thing left of her sister - finally was happy.

Dudley too stayed on the sidelines and kept his mother company throughout the event. He didn't really know anybody there besides Harry, and was still a bit uncomfortable around magic. Still, he did participate in a dance or two, and relished eating his piece of the delicious wedding cake that Molly had baked herself. He was also amazed at the fantastic fireworks display that took place as night approached and the sky grew dark. Apparently they were a specialty of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Overall, he had a nice time.

At one point in the night, Harry and Ginny came up to talk to them.

"Again, I'm really glad you two could make it," Harry sincerely told his aunt and cousin.

"We're glad we could come too!" Dudley replied, grinning. "I'm really happy for you, mate," he continued as he affectionately clamped Harry on the shoulder.

"Yes," Petunia interjected. "It really was a gorgeous ceremony, congratulations to you both."

"Thank you," Ginny told her. Petunia was shocked, Harry's bride was actually smiling at both her and her son. Ginny looked unsure for a moment before she continued speaking. "It was really nice that Harry was able to have his mother's family here. It meant a lot to him… to both of us."

With that, the newly weds floated off to enjoy the rest of their wedding.

At the end of the night, Harry and Ginny poofed away together. Apparently they left to go honeymoon on some tropical island in the Caribbean. Arthur brought Petunia and Dudley back to Kings Cross Station with another portkey that made them feel only slightly less nauseous than the first one.

The mother and son returned to Privet Drive and never told Vernon of where they really went that day. Dudley and Harry continued to correspond through letters, and they would occasionally meet in London for lunch.

Petunia would also write to Harry every now and then, and he would always respond kindly. They only saw each other once in person after the wedding when Petunia accompanied Dudley to one of his and Harry's lunches. It wasn't the relationship she wanted to have with her nephew, but she knew it was more than she deserved. The scars that she and her husband had inflicted on Harry during his childhood would never fully heal, but Petunia was proud that Harry was a kind enough man to look far enough past them to have a cordial relationship with her.

She would never stop feeling guilty for what she did to Harry, but now she could at least live with herself after seeing how well he was doing. For a long time, Petunia had seen herself as a monster because of the way she treated her nephew. Now she once a again saw herself as just a human being who had made some pretty big mistakes, but had done her best to make up for them.

Thank goodness she had found Harry's toy in the corner of that old broom cupboard - otherwise she would have never gotten any peace.

The end.


End file.
